Henry Holmes Smith

[spookyphoto]

Someone who inspired me many years ago was Henry Holmes Smith who taught graduate classes at Indiana U. Considered the father of fine art photographic education. His photograms were really way ahead of his time. It's a shame he didn't get more recognition.

 

[koraks]

Lovely portraits! I wasn't aware of this artist, thanks for sharing.

 

[spookyphoto]

Lovely portraits! I wasn't aware of this artist, thanks for sharing.

Caro syrup dripped over a glass plate. He did a lot with color dye transfer and huge silkscreens also. Google him to see a bunch of his other images

 

[jeffreyg]

I have one of his prints that was done with only photo chemistry. No negative was used.

 

[spookyphoto]

I have one of his prints that was done with only photo chemistry. No negative was used.

Yes. Most of his work were photograms direct to paper.

 

[awty]

Very nice.

 

[CMoore]

Someone who inspired me many years ago was Henry Holmes Smith who taught graduate classes at Indiana U. Considered the father of fine art photographic education. His photograms were really way ahead of his time. It's a shame he didn't get more recognition.

So, what are we looking at here.?

 

[spookyphoto]

So, what are we looking at here.?

You are looking at photograms produced by dripping Caro syrup on glass and reflected directly to photographic paper. They are mono prints. No negatives.

 

[Arthurwg]

Make for one, won't be home.

 

[DREW WILEY]

My gosh! - Those look like microscope views of what flu-infected teenagers leave all over movie theater seats and leftover popcorn. Perhaps someone should make an old 50's style B horror movie about them, equivalent to the "Blob", or a more modern Alien encounter version. Just what we need when NASA is contemplating a manned Mars mission to look for evidence of microbial life - another "Andromeda Strain" incident.

 

[MattKing]

I always enjoy photograms.
I always think that what people see in them is often a good indication of what their thoughts and interests are.
Like much abstract art.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Jeez Drew... Could you be anymore ruder?

 

[DREW WILEY]

Rude???? Photograms have always tempted imagination, or been inspired by them. Look at those of Max Ernst or the other Surrealists. What was Weegee doing with all his deliberate emulsion distortions? No, I don't necessarily call any of that Photograph per se - it isn't. But if they didn't have whimsy and multiple interpretations in mind like Rorschach blots, why did they do them? In this case, actual droplets are being enlarged in reverse fashion; so these aren't "photograms" in the traditional sense. But how people take these images is up to them. Ever study microbiology? If you had, you'd probably sneeze and call the doctor just looking at these images.

 

[Arthurwg]

I don't want to be rude also, but there's a reason why this guy didn't get any recognition.

 

[koraks]

I don't want to be rude also, but there's a reason why this guy didn't get any recognition.

Part of it might be that he was stuck in the middle. Painters would not have recognized what he was doing since they deemed it something to do with photography (so bad, by definition), and photographers would have disapproved because he didn't even know that he needed a damn camera for this. I think we're seeing above an apt illustration of how conservatism rejects anything they don't feel familiar with (therefore it must be BAD; after all, it's 'other', not mine, not what I do, can't be any damn good).

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

It probably made him happy making them, and that is what matters the most. #75, and #4 are quite good.

 

[jvo]

tough crowd... thanks for bringing him to my attention... he was a fine art photographer! drew i admired your imaginative description, it's there!!!!

 

[spookyphoto]

Smith was heavily influenced by the German Bauhaus and later when he was invited to teach at the New Bauhaus in Chicago by Moholy Nagy. I think we can see that Nagy was a huge influence on his work. His friends and acquaintances were the who's who in the photographic world